Abstract: An Asynchronous Transfer Mode switch and method which facilitate priority arbitration of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint transmission are disclosed. To execute point-to-multipoint operation a bandwidth arbiter maintains a first list of connections and bit vectors indicating designated destination ports. The list maintained by the bandwidth arbiter is then compared to an unassigned output port bit vector to determine matches therebetween at which point-to-multipoint transmission may be made by utilizing instantaneously unused bandwidth within the switch. To execute point-to-point operation each input port maintains a list of connections associated with each output port, and those lists are used in conjunction with output port request information per input port in the bandwidth arbiter to match requests to the unassigned output port bit vector. The bandwidth arbiter may also assign priority to connections in the list.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are disclosed for arbitrating between streams of ATM cells, or sources for a connection, on multiple input port processors vying for an opportunity to be transmitted as a fixed bandwidth, or allocated, connection on a single output port through a network switch. The network switch maintains a plurality of input port processors, at least one output port, and input and output buffers associated with the respective input and output ports. Streams of ATM cells enter the network switch as sources for a connection through the multiple input port processors and are buffered in the input buffers. The ATM cells are then routed from the input buffers to an output buffer in the output port. The network switch also provides a multipoint topology controller (MTC) and a bandwidth arbiter (BA) for performing the arbitration.

Abstract: An Asynchronous Transfer Mode switch and method which facilitate priority arbitration of point-to-point and point-to-multipoint transmission are disclosed. To execute point-to-multipoint operation a bandwidth arbiter maintains a first list of connections and bit vectors indicating designated destination ports. The list maintained by the bandwidth arbiter is then compared to an unassigned output port bit vector to determine matches therebetween at which point-to-multipoint transmission may be made by utilizing instantaneously unused bandwidth within the switch. To execute point-to-point operation each input port maintains a list of connections associated with each output port, and those lists are used in conjunction with output port request information per input port in the bandwidth arbiter to match requests to the unassigned output port bit vector. The bandwidth arbiter may also assign priority to connections in the list.

Abstract: An Asynchronous Transfer Mode switch and method which facilitate point-to-multipoint transmission are disclosed. The switch includes a bandwidth arbiter, and each input port within the switch includes a switch allocation table ("SAT") which controls bandwidth allocation between input and output ports. Each SAT includes a plurality of sequentially ordered cell time slots and a synchronized pointer which is directed to one of the slots such that at any given point in time each of the pointers is directed to the same slot location in the respective SAT with which the pointer is associated. To execute point-to-multipoint operation the bandwidth arbiter maintains a list of connections and bit vectors indicating the designated destination ports for a point-to-multipoint cell.

Abstract: An ATM network switch and method of utilization for adaptively providing integrated services therein is disclosed. In providing such integrated services, if the allocated bandwidth for one connection has been consumed, or if the connection is not entitled to allocated bandwidth, the connection can optionally use dynamic bandwidth arbitration, or a combination of both allocated and dynamic. The switch includes an input port processor, a bandwidth arbiter, and an output port processor. Cells are transmitted from the input to the output, under the control of respective port processors and the bandwidth arbiter. Flow control is implemented on a per-connection basis. Individual queues are then assigned to traffic type groups in order to provide traffic type flow control. Based upon prioritization information associated with the cell at the input, cells are prioritized and transmitted from the output, with each cell maintained in the same order, relative to other cells on a connection, in which it was received.